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Slow-Cooker Mashed Potatoes

by Jolie Peters

on 11/12/13 at 03:00 PM

I have called the same rustic refurbished barn home since the time I was born. And because my mother still lives in my childhood home in the Catskill Mountains, it is where I still reside during the holiday season.

One would think that after living in the same house for my entire life, I would be used to all of the barn's idiosyncrasies. However, I still get afraid at night when the wood panels start creaking on their own, and I still feel pangs of frustration standing under the low water pressure in the shower. While I admittedly still haven't gotten used to everything, I have managed to adapt to some of the undesirable characteristics in my antique home.

The minuscule kitchen houses an oven that is just big enough for our Thanksgiving turkey. Switching out the turkey to cook the stuffing, the stuffing to cook the potatoes, the potatoes to roast the vegetables, always felt like a relentless relay race. By the time we had finished cooking, we were left full of animosity, and with little room for the actual meal.

When I agreed to take over the entirety of the cooking on Thanksgiving, I knew that my teetering patience wouldn't stand for another race; something had to be done.

My solution was to optimize all of the appliances we have in the kitchen. Not everything on thanksgiving has to be roasted after all. While several of the stove-top recipes I have tried over the years have been a smashing success among our guest diners, the best feedback I have gotten was from the slow-cooker mashed potatoes I made last year.

The mashed potatoes inaugurated my mother's Crock-Pot, which had been gifted to her several Christmases ago. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to break out your slow cooker, especially when kitchen space is limited, because cooking is already an all-day affair. Waiting for the Crock-Pot to complete the dish seems much less time-consuming on a day when you are simultaneously waiting for all of your other dishes to cook as well.

I added a pound of potatoes, several cups of chicken stock, and a clove of garlic to the Crock-Pot in the early afternoon. Setting the pot on medium heat, the potatoes took about five hours to soften. When they were done, I removed the potatoes from the stock, and tossed in butter, cream-cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. These ingredients can be added sparingly or liberally depending on how health conscious you are. After mashing the potatoes, (which can be done in a blender or with a hand masher depending on the texture preferred), I sprinkled the potatoes with freshly chopped chives. You could also try offering your guests a variety of toppings on the side, such as bacon, cheese, or vegetables, so they can add their own variation to their potatoes.

Because they were so delicious, my guests scarfed up the last of the potatoes that night. This year I plan on making extra so that I can enjoy some as leftovers!

What tricks do you have for optimizing space on Thanksgiving? Have any of you ever used a Crock-Pot to complete a holiday meal?

Great question barbchickweed! This recipe makes 8 servings. To alleviate some of the stress on the morning of Thanksgiving, you could cut your potatoes the day before. However, you want to make sure to store them submerged in water, and in the fridge, or else they'll brown.

barbchickweed 12:37:57 PM on 11/13/13

This sounds like a great idea for mashed potatoes. How many does your recipe serve?

meowsies 11:16:27 AM on 11/13/13

Ahead of time, I roast turkey wings to make a base for the gravy. After I make the gravy, on Turkey Day it goes into the crock pot to keep hot. Any leftover juices from the turkey goes into the gravy. One last minute job done ahead of time! One year I made baked beans to go with the meal and made those in the crock pot. Some people serve soup with dinner (to me it takes up too much space in my belly that stuffing & sweet potatoes should be taking up) and that could certainly be done in the crock pot. Cheese sauce for the broccoli could be done in a 2 qt crock pot. BBQ wings as an app could be kept hot in the crock pot. I use my crock pot frequently - I have 5 of them in different sizes.